Hardwoods in the garden: Jamie Durie's top tips

Once upon a time when my children were still tiny, I had the privilege of working in Jamie Durie's landscape studios to help him with a magazine project he was working on. The man wowed me with his outdoor design genius. I seriously underestimated Jamie Durie's awesomeness until meeting him in the flesh and seeing him work.

When I got this press release from Boral about Jamie's tips for adding style to a garden, I went "gotta publish it". So here it is: Jamie Durie's tips with timbers:

Why timber?

Whether it’s about laying decking boards in an unusual pattern or creating an impressive structure for entertaining, timber adds style and character to an outside space. 

Screening 

Enclose or partition sections of the backyard to create separate spaces for different activities, such as an entertaining area for eating with guests and another where the kids can play. Decking timber framed around an entertaining area makes a stunning backdrop, while placed around a pool it is an excellent way to provide privacy.

Fencing

Hardwood timber decking is also ideal for fencing, offering year-round protection against the elements and providing a smart, natural finish for the front and back of the home.

Edging

Decking can be a decorative feature that lends itself to borders and edging. Use timber boards either horizontally or vertically to add texture and colour around plants, trees or herb beds.

Structural applications

A strong and durable material, hardwood timber decking can be used to build structural items for the garden. Pergolas or gazebos are a beautiful feature, helping to provide some shade during the hot summer days. For the kids, timber can be used to construct a cubby house in which to play.


Statement pieces

Create an arresting timber centrepiece as a focal point around which the rest of the backyard design can flow. With a variety of species to choose from, a timber statement piece will bring warmth and texture to the backyard for years to come.


Outdoor room

Timber decking can form a continuation of the indoor living area, carrying the look and feel through to the outdoors for a harmonious, flowing aesthetic.  Matching the timber species to indoor flooring will produce a seamless space and can be further accentuated with potted plants boxed in the same timber.

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Pictures: David Matheson for Jamie Durie's Outdoor Room book

 

Q&A: How to find places to store kids toys

Q. Finding enough room to store my kids' toys is making me want to turn into a little green martian. How do people manage this?


A. All parents learn something called toy tolerance. It's a special skill required of people that may have once wanted their home to look picture-perfect but decided to have children instead. All parents must find innovative storage solutions for toys. The real art of toy storage is not the myriad of solutions at places like Howards Storage World, Freedom, IKEA and even the Go-Lo or Reject Shop - it's more about creating storage your kids will actually use. It's no use buying a beautiful toy box if your child simply refuses to play with any of the toys at the bottom where they can't reach. Toy storage must be extremely functional - kids need to see which toys are where and be able to access them (and put them back) easily. See-through crates are perfect and you can pick them up for less than $10 at the Kmarts and discount shops of this world.

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Pictures: LivingETC

Way to go with wallpaper

Once upon a time in an age where I wore silly platform heels popular in the early 1990s, I worked in the same magazine office as a stylish woman called Shannon Fricke. Shannon has a wonderful eye and created the quirky little wallpapered cupboard for Australian Women's Weekly. She's tres clever, no? I would have neither the time nor the patience for such things ...

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Pictures: ShannonFricke

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"An architect is the drawer of dreams."

- Grace McGarvie

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Pictures: KAA Design Group

Mondrian retaining wall: better than the old

Retaining walls tend to need detaining for visual crimes against gardens. Most retaining walls are ugly, obvious and just plain obtrusive. This is a new retaining wall product from Boral called the Mondrian (as are many new products - for some reason, that painter is inspiring a tonne of renovation products in his name). The great thing about the Mondrian is that it costs under $100 per m2 and has a smooth top so doesn't need those hideous looking capping units, or separate corner units. With 72 blocks in every pallet, 12 blocks in each pallet can be used as either corner blocks, half blocks or base course blocks. As a result the wall can be designed during installation without the builder having to worry about being short of corners or caps. There are six different patterned blocks to create a unique wall design each time. The drystack wall system is designed so that blocks are fitted together when the back lip locks down over the top of the course below to form a flush face wall. There is no cutting required to form a corner or for half units as the corner units bond in with the standard blocks and the corners can also be turned to use as half units. Hey, I sound so proficient at this retaining world business that I could possibly lay it all myself. Oh wait ...

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Pictures: Boral

Q&A: Do eco homes have higher property values?

Q. I heard that going green is all the rage and can add value to my house - how much more money can I expect to get if it has all the right eco bells and whistles?


A. How long is a piece of recycled string? Answering questions about property value is complex. While prospective buyers could be willing to pay more for a property that uses energy wisely, just how much more depends on price range, location and features. After all, that harbour view could add a few million dollars but installing one energy efficient light bulb may not add one cent. A report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics studied sale prices and eco star ratings in the Australian Capital Territory - it found that for a house worth $365,000, increasing the rating by half a star would add, on average, nearly $4500 to its price. With electricity prices in NSW expected to increase by a whopping 64 per cent over the next three years, improving your property value is just one more motivation to take up eco renovating. Everything from shower roses to solar panels can alter a property's carbon footprint, so it's worth starting somewhere.

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Pictures: CoteMaison

Cool chicken coops

 

I don't care that roosters crow at dawn. I don't care that chickens get creepy little mites or destroy your garden with their wretched scratching that is said to improve the quality of the earth - I STILL WANT MY OWN CHICKENS. My mum has some down in Tassie and they provide endless entertainment as they bawk bawk bawk around the yard. OK, I would require someone else to shovel out the chicken poo, but all those eggs would make it worth it, wouldn't it? And then there's the totally cute chicken coop I'd have to keep them in. I rather like this swanky one made in the US ... how about you? Are chickens one of your secret fantasies?

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Pictures: Main picture by Anthony Willis
 Chickencribs via Shelterrific